Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cultural Values and Volunteering: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Students’ Motivation to Volunteer in 13 Countries

  • Published:
Journal of Academic Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Voluntary participation is connected to cultural, political, religious and social contexts. Social and societal factors can provide opportunities, expectations and requirements for voluntary activity, as well as influence the values and norms promoting this. These contexts are especially central in the case of voluntary participation among students as they are often responding to the societal demands for building a career and qualifying for future assignments and/or government requirements for completing community service. This article questions how cultural values affect attitudes towards volunteerism, using data from an empirical research project on student volunteering activity in 13 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region. The findings indicate that there are differences in motivation between countries which represent different cultural values. This article sets these findings in context by comparing structural and cultural factors which may influence volunteerism within each country.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anheier, H. K., & Salamon, L. M. (1999). Volunteering in cross-national perspective: initial comparisons. Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 43–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astin, A. W., & Sax, L. J. (1998). How undergraduates are affected by service participation. Journal of College Student Development, 39(3), 251–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Billis, D. (1993). Organizing public and voluntary agencies. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carson, E. D. (1999). On defining and measuring volunteering in the United States and abroad. Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 67–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., Ridge, R. D., Copeland, J., Stukas, A. A., Haugen, J., et al. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: a functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1516–1530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cnaan, R. A., & Goldberg-Glenn, R. S. (1991). Measuring motivation to volunteer in human services. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 27, 269–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cnaan, R. A., Pessi, A. B., Zrinščak, S., Brudney, J. L., Grönlund, H., Haski-Leventhal, D., et al. (2010). The impact of student values and religiosity on pro-social behavior: A cross-national perspective. Article manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, J. E., Baer, D. E., & Grabb, E. G. (2001). Nations of joiners: notions of voluntary association membership in democratic societies. American Sociological Review, 66(6), 783–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekker, P. (2002). On the prospects of volunteering in civil society. Voluntary Action, 4(3), 31–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dekker, P., & Halman, L. (2003). Volunteering and values: An introduction. In P. Dekker & L. Halman (Eds.), The values of volunteering: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 1–6). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, G. (1999). Social foundations of post-industrial society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrera, M. (1996). The ‘Southern Model’ of welfare in social Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 6(1), 17–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gidron, B. (1978). Volunteer work and its rewards. Volunteer Administration, 11(1), 18–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadzi-Miceva, K. (2007). A comparative analysis of the European legal systems and practices regarding volunteering. International Journal of Not-for-profit Law, 9(3), 37–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handy, F., Cnaan, R. A., Brudney, J., Meijs, L., Ascoli, U., & Ranade, S. (2000). Public perception of “Who is a Volunteer”: an examination of the net-cost approach: a cross-cultural perspective. Voluntas, 11(1), 45–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halman, L. (2003). Volunteering, democracy and democratic attitudes. In P. Dekker & L. Halman (Eds.), The values of volunteering: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 179–198). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haski-Leventhal, D., Cnaan, R. A., Handy, F., Brudney, J. L., Holmes, K., Hustinx, L., Kang, C., Kassam, M., Meijs, L. C. P. M., Ranade, B., Yamauchi, N., Yeung, A. B. & Zrinščak, S. (2008). Students’ Vocational Choices and Voluntary Action: A 12 Nation Study. Voluntas, 19(1), 1–21.

  • Haski-Leventhal, D., Grönlund, H., Holmes, K., Meijs, L. C. P. M., Cnaan, R. A., Handy, F., Brudney, J., Hustinx, L., Kang, C., Kassam, M., Pessi, A. B., Ranade, B., Smith, K. A., Yamauchi, N. & Zrinščak, S. (2010). Service-Learning: Findings From a 14-Nation Study. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 22(3), 161–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkinson, V. (2003). Volunteering in global perspective. In P. Dekker & L. Halman (Eds.), The values of volunteering: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 35–53). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage: Thousand Oaks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (1997). Modernization and postmodernization: Cultural, economic, and political change in 43 societies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (2003). Modernization and volunteering. In P. Dekker & L. Halman (Eds.), The values of volunteering: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 55–70). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitchen, S., Michaelson, J., Wood, N., & John, P. (2006). 2005 citizenship survey: Active communities topic report. London: CLG.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meijs, L. C. P. M., & Bridges Karr, L. (2004). Managing volunteers in different settings: Membership and programme management. In R. A. Stebbins & M. Graham (Eds.), Volunteering as leisure/leisure as volunteering: An international assessment (pp. 177–193). Wallingford: CAB International.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Merrill, M. V. (2006). Global trends and the challenges for volunteering. The International Journal of Volunteer Administration, XXIV(1), 9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musick, M. A., & Wilson, J. (2008). Volunteers: A social profile. Bloomington & Indianopolis: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musick, M. A., Wilson, J., & Bynum, W. B. (2000). Race and formal volunteering: the differential effects of class and religion. Social Forces, 78(4), 1539–1570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brein, E. M. (1993). Outside the classroom: students as employees, volunteers and interns. Research Briefs, 4, 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD Factbook 2008: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics 2008. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2008. Paris: OECD.

  • Parboteeah, K. P., Cullen, J., & Lim, L. (2004). Formal volunteering: a cross national test. Journal of World Business, 39, 431–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rochester, C., Paine, A. E., Howlett, S., & Zimmeck, M. (2010). Volunteering and society in the 21st century. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiter, S., & De Graaf, N. D. (2006). National context, religiosity, and volunteering: results from 53 countries. American Sociological Review, 71, 191–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salamon, L. M., & Anheier, H. K. (1998). Social origins of civil society: explaining the nonprofit sector cross-nationally. Voluntas, 9(3), 213–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salamon, L. M., & Sokolowski, S. W. (2003). Institutional routes of volunteering: Toward a macro-structural theory of individual voluntary action. In P. Dekker & L. Halman (Eds.), The values of volunteering: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 71–90). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schimmack, U., Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2005). Individualism: a valid and important dimension of cultural differences between nations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(1), 17–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1994). Beyond individualism and collectivism: New cultural dimensions of values. In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S.-C. Choi, & G. Yom (Eds.), Individualism and collectivism: Theory, method and application (pp. 85–119). CA: Thousand Oaks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (2007). Universalism values and the inclusiveness of our moral universe. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, 711–728.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundeen, R. A., & Raskoff, S. A. (1994). Volunteering among teenagers in the United States. Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 23(4), 383–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, J., & Janoski, T. (1995). The contribution of religion to volunteer work. Sociology of Religion, 56, 137–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Values Survey 2009. The World Values Survey. http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org, accessed 08/11/10.

  • Wuthnow, R. (1991). Acts of compassion. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, A. B. (2004). An intricate triangle: religiosity, volunteering, social capital. European perspective – the case of Finland. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 33(3), 401–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ziemeck, S. (2003). The economics of volunteer labour supply: An application to countries of a different development level. New York: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers of Journal of Academic Ethics for their comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Practical Theology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 33, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland

    Henrietta Grönlund

  2. Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6152, Australia

    Kirsten Holmes

  3. Yonsei University, 262 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-GU, Seoul, 120–749, Korea

    Chulhee Kang

  4. University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Ram A. Cnaan & Femida Handy

  5. Cleveland State University, 1899 East 22nd Street, Cleveland, OH, 44114, USA

    Jeffrey L. Brudney

  6. Centre for Social Impact, Australian School of Business, University of NSW, Level 6, East, Australian School of Business, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, 2033, Australia

    Debbie Haski-Leventhal

  7. Ghent University, Korte Meer 3–5, 9000, Gent, Belgium

    Lesley Hustinx

  8. American University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 26666, Sharjah, UAE

    Meenaz Kassam

  9. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, PO Box 1738, 3000, DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Lucas C. P. M. Meijs

  10. Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies, Fabianinkatu 24, P.O. Box 4, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland

    Anne Birgitta Pessi

  11. Marketing & Market Research Consultants, Pune, India

    Bhangyashree Ranade

  12. Victoria University Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand

    Karen A. Smith

  13. Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, 1–31 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560–0043, Japan

    Naoto Yamauchi

  14. Faculty of Law, Department for Social Work, University of Zagreb, Nazorova 51, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Siniša Zrinščak

Authors
  1. Henrietta Grönlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kirsten Holmes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chulhee Kang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ram A. Cnaan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Femida Handy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jeffrey L. Brudney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Debbie Haski-Leventhal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Lesley Hustinx
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Meenaz Kassam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Lucas C. P. M. Meijs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Anne Birgitta Pessi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Bhangyashree Ranade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Karen A. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Naoto Yamauchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Siniša Zrinščak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henrietta Grönlund.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grönlund, H., Holmes, K., Kang, C. et al. Cultural Values and Volunteering: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Students’ Motivation to Volunteer in 13 Countries. J Acad Ethics 9, 87–106 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-011-9131-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-011-9131-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation